Culinary Arts Schools in Florida

The food scene in Florida, just like the weather, is hot. With multiple distinct hotspots, from Miami to Orlando, Florida has a diverse range of culinary options that span the spectrum of cultures, emerging food trends, and dining settings. From the James Beard-nominated Juvia in Miami Beach to Rocco's Taco & Tequila Bar in Fort Lauderdale, Florida has a little of something for every palette.

To most, Miami's South Beach dominates the food scene in Florida because the city is home to celebrity chefs and independent restauranteurs alike. Indeed, Miami is a melting pot of ethnic cuisine, offering patrons the opportunity to explore small hidden gems and expansive, critic-loved restaurants led by renowned chefs. In fact, during the past thirty years, restaurant row in Miami has experienced several transformative periods, culminating today as one of the hottest culinary hotspots in the country.

While Miami may attract the attention, other regions especially Tampa Bay, are also undergoing gastronomic revolutions. An area long known for basic franchise and fast food fare, Tampa Bay is now also garnering culinary investments, bringing in a new generation of establishments and a renewed focus on local and sustainable food production.

The culinary industry in Florida is an important contributor to the economy, employing nearly 900,000 individuals throughout the state, according to the National Restaurant Association. More than 38,700 restaurants are in Florida, which drive more than $34.7 billion in annual sales.

Famous Florida restaurants

Indeed, Miami is the crown jewel of culinary action in Florida, and is home to numerous award winning restaurants and chefs. In 2014, six restaurants in Miami earned 5- and 4-star or recommended rankings from Forbes. Overall, 15 restaurants received recognition from Forbes Travel Guide's annual star award ranking. The 5-star winning restaurants in Miami included the following:

Azul: Located inside of the Mandarin Oriental hotel in Miami, Azul the French-Asian fusion cuisine is the result of the inventiveness of William Crandall, Chef de Cuisine.

NAOE: Chef Kevin Cory's NAOE is a Japanese restaurant famous for its high end sushi that has been called "works of arts" by critics.

The 4-star winning restaurants in Florida included:

Café Boulud (Palm Beach)

Hakkasan (Miami Beach)

J&G Grill (Miami)

Nin18 (Orlando)

Palm d'Or (Coral Gables)

Scarpetta (Miami Beach)

Victoria and Albert's (Lake Buena Vista)

In 2014, Zagat also recognized the Miami culinary world, reviewing and listing some of the hottest restaurant openings that took place that year. These restaurants serve everything from oysters to kimchi, slabs of beef to brioche bun hamburgers.

Drunken Dragon

Buns & Buns

Sriracha House

Meat Market

Mignonette

Florida culinary Schools & career outlook

There are numerous avenues to becoming a chef or finding a place in the culinary industry, including attending a culinary school in Florida. No matter what the path, those seeking a professional culinary career typically choose from one of four central concentrations:

Training in these areas could prepare graduates to pursue careers as chefs, caterers, mixologists, sous chefs, pastry chefs, restaurant managers and more. In Florida, trained culinary professionals are in demand, evidenced by the 15 percent growth rate in the industry in 2014, according to the National Restaurant Association.

Individual careers including chefs and food service managers are some of the fastest growing occupations in the culinary industry in Florida, and they are expected see employment gains of 14 percent and 13.6 percent -- respectively -- between 2012 and 2022. Below is a table of the overall career outlook for bakers, chefs, and food service managers in Florida.

Occupation

Total Employment in Florida (2013)

Average Salary in Florida (2013)

% Job Growth in Florida (2012-2022)

Bakers

11,710

$24,840

7.1%

Chefs and Head Cooks

5,590

$51,660

14.0%

Food Service Managers

8,120

$61,740

13.6%

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2013, and Projections Central

At the local level, the largest opportunities are concentrated in metropolitan areas such as Miami-Miami-Beach-Kendall and Tampa-St.Petersburg. Below is a list of the total number of individuals working as bakers, chefs and restaurant managers in the top three metropolitan areas in 2013:

Bakers

Miami-Miami Beach-Kendall (2,020)

Tampa-St. Petersburg (2,020)

West Palm Beach-Boca Raton-Boynton Beach (1,560)

Chefs

Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford (940)

Miami-Miami Beach-Kendall (900)

Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach-Deerfield Beach (520)

Restaurant managers

Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford (1,500)

Tampa-St. Petersburg (1,280)

Miami-Miami Beach-Kendall (1,080)

As for career earnings, the BLS 2013 average top paying regions for bakers is Naples-Marco Islands ($37,850), Sebastian-Vero Beach for chefs ($64,400) and Miami-Miami-Beach-Kendall ($73,920) for restaurant managers.

With favorable weather, diverse cultural regions, and one of the best culinary destinations in Miami, Florida may be an attractive option for students considering attending a culinary school in the state.

Hands-on professional experience is essential for developing a career in culinary arts. However, a culinary arts degree demonstrating both dedication and skills to employers can also help. To amplify your professional training, start by browsing the list of culinary schools in Florida below: